Manus AI is introduced by founders as the first general AI virtual assistant that can do everything, from stock market analysis to creating personal travel handbooks for a trip... instead of just giving simple instructions.
Rapid growth
Manus was launched by Chinese startup butterfly Effect this month.
In an online video, co-founder Yichao Ji praised it as "the next model of human- machine collaboration, and potentially a glimpse of AGI - general artificial intelligence", referring to general artificial intelligence with a purpose, thinking in the way humans do it.
Currently, Manus AI is still in the testing phase and can only register through invitations, but the number of members registered on the Discord server has reached over 170,000.
It's name comes from the Latin word "Mens et Manus," meaning "intellect and hand", referring to the combination of knowledge and practical application.
Exclusive
Manus AI is "a system that can automatically perform tasks on behalf of users," said Manoj Harjani, a researcher at the S. Rajaratnam International Research Institute (RSIS) in Singapore.
"DeepSeek and ChatGPT are different from Manus in that they provide feedback to user reminders through a chat-style interface, while Manus can perform tasks such as booking tickets and arranging documents," Manoj told AFP.
While DeepSeek was quietly developed behind the scenes before becoming famous globally, Manus took a different path. The beta is for invited only and according to analysts, Manus AI wants to target corporate customers from the beginning.
While this monopoly can resonate, it can also hinder its wide application, says Marina Zhang, Associate Professor at the Australia-China Institute of Relations at the University of Technology Sydney.
According to her, Manus may not be as popular as DeepSeek, especially building a large community, if it continues to maintain the current closed ecosystem.
Potential success
According to expert Manoj Harjani, whether Manus is as successful as DeepSeek will depend on its ability to expand scale to meet demand.
But he added that Manus is unlikely to become the next DeepSeek because they are different types of AI applications.
Meanwhile, Marina Zhang stressed that Manus' development will depend on "adequate computing power and the ability to effectively handle potential challenges such as technical stability and considerations of ethics or related regulations".
"If Manus can successfully solve these problems... this company can truly become an important factor in the field of business automation," she said.
Some other experts emphasized that Manus AI is "perfect for a long time" and may not be widely publicized because the research team still wants to improve the product.
Therefore, its success still leaves a big question mark.
